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Friday, 22 August 2014

The Varyag at Chemulpo 1904: A last stand and a strange afterlife

In my blog last week I described the heroic last stand of
the Austro-Hungarian cruiser Zenta in
1914. My present subject is an equally heroic “last stand” but with the difference
that the ship involved was to survive into a quite amazing afterlife.

Soviet commemorative stamp for the Varyag, 1972

The Varyag was a
protected cruiser built by the Cramp yard at Philadelphia for the Imperial Russian
Navy, entering service in 1901. 425-ft long and of 6500 tons, she carried twelve
6-in guns as well as smaller weapons and her 20,000 hp gave her a top speed of
23 knots. It is notable that the 6-in weapons had no protective shields for
their crews, perhaps reflecting the idea that cruisers of this type were more
likely to be employed as commerce raiders than to engage in combat with other warships.
The Varyag was assigned to the Russian
Far East Fleet, with its bases at Vladivostok (iced-bound in winter) and Port
Arthur (ice-free all year round).

The Varyag, as completed

In early 1904 tensions between Russia and Japan were at
breaking point over territorial ambitions in Korea and Manchuria. The main
Russian naval force was concentrated at Port Arthur and hostilities commenced
on February 8th when Japanese torpedo boats attacked the Russians at
anchor there – without a declaration of war, a foretaste of what was to happen
at Pearl Harbour thirty-seven years later. The Varyag
was not present however – she was at the Korean port of Chemulpo, today known
as Inchon – together with a small gunboat, the Korietz (1334 tons, two 8-in, one 6-in and smaller weapons). The
Japanese cruiser Chiyoda was also
based at Chemulpo where she and the Varyag
eyed each other suspiciously for several months.

The Korietz - heavily armed for her size

Chemulpo, on the Korean west coast and some 30 miles from the
capital, Seoul, was vital to the Japanese since was it was through this port
that army forces and supplies were to be landed to support the invasion of Manchuria.
A very large Japanese force was accordingly sent under Rear Admiral Uryu
Sotokichi to take Chemulpo – this
included six cruisers, some eight smaller vessels, three transports and 2,500
ground troops. The most powerful Japanese vessel was the 9700 ton armoured
cruiser Asama, built by Armstrong
Whitworth in Great Britain, and with four 8-in and fourteen 6-in guns. The Asama , when commissioned in 1899, was
considered the fastest, most heavily armed and most heavily armoured cruiser in
any navy. The other Japanese cruisers were of the “protected” rather than “armoured”
type, but were all well armed.

The Asama - feared and respected in her time

The first indication
that the Japanese might be about to mount a surprise attack came when a Russian
transport, the Sungari, arrived at
Chemulpo on February 7th 1904, reporting sighting of a large
Japanese force. This was Uryu’s squadron. On the following day, February 8th,
the Russian gunboat Korietz was
ordered from Chemulpo to Port Arthur to report the sighting and to request
instructions. The Korietz spotted the
Chiyoda outside the roadstead, and
mistaking it for a fellow Russian ship, loaded its guns for a salute. On
closing in, the crew of Korietz
realized their mistake and in the ensuing confusion the guns were discharged. Chiyoda responded by launching a
torpedo. The Korietz retreated back
to Chemulpo harbour. And the Chiyoda rendezvoused
with Admiral Uryu’s force. The Russians do not appear to have regarded the
incident as anything but a mistake and were not alarmed enough to go on a war
footing.

The French cruiser Pascal - a neutral at Chemulpo

The Varyag and Korietz were not alone in Chemulpo. Also
present were the British cruiser Talbot,
the French Pascal, the Italian Elba and the American Vicksburg, all neutrals. Not only were the
Varyag nor Korietz protected by international law while they were in Chemulpo,
a neutral port, but any attack on them was likely to inflict damage on the four
neutral warships as well, with incalculable diplomatic consequences.

At 1800 hrs on February 8th the Japanese troopships,
covered by several cruisers, moved into the port, tied up close to the Varyag, and landed their troops. The
disembarkation was completed by 0300 the following morning. During these hours the Japanese had separately
unleashed their sneak attack on the Port Arthur base. Throughout the Japanese
landing activities at Chemulpo the Russians took no action and indeed continued
normal activities with no sense of urgency.

Admiral Uryu now had a letter delivered to the captains of all
warships anchored at Chemulpo. It was in perfect English, reflecting the fact
that the Japanese Navy was modelled on the Royal Navy, and that many of its
officers had trained in Britain. The message read as follow:

Sir:

I have the honour to notify you that as
hostilities exist between the Empire of Japan and the Empire of Russia at
present I shall attack the men-of-war of the Government of Russia, stationed at
present in the port of Chemulpo, with the force under my command, in case of
the refusal of the Russian senior naval officer present at Chemulpo to my
demand to leave the port of Chemulpo before the noon of the 9th of February,
1904, and I respectfully request you to keep away from the scene of action in
the port so that no danger from the action would come to the ship under your
command. The above-mentioned attack will not take place before 4 o'clock p. m.
of the 9th of February, 1904, to give time to put into practice the above-mentioned
request.

If there are any transports or merchant
vessels of your nationality in the port of Chemulpo at present, I request you
to communicate to them the above notification.

I have the honour to be, sir, your most
obedient servant,

S. URYU

A separate message was sent to the Varyag, as reproduced below.

In response to this the Varyag’s
captain, Vsevolod Fyodorovich Rudnev, called a conference with the neutral warship
captains (only the Americans declined to attend). These decided to reject Uryu’s
request that they leave Chemulpo and, against the advice of the neutrals,
Captain Rudnev stated his intention of fighting his way out to the open sea.

The Varyag (L) and Korietz (R) steam out to meet the Japanese,as seen from the neutral warships

At 1120 hrs the Varyag
steamed out from Chemulpo, the Korietz
following closely. As they passed the British, French and Italian ships they
were cheered loudly – indeed the Elba’s
band played the Russian national anthem.

The Russian ships steaming out, cheered by the crews of the neutral ships

The battle that followed lasted less than two hours and the
outcome was inevitable. Without room for manoeuvre and wholly outgunned, the
Russian vessels were subjected to a merciless pounding at ranges as short as
6000 yards.. Rudnev himself was wounded and of Varyag’s 570-man crew 82 were killed and 190 injured. The Japanese
appear to have suffered no casualties.

A contemporary magazine illustration of the battleThe ranges shown are too short to be realistic

The Varyag fought magnificently,
and claimed hits on the Asama, but was
incapable of overcoming the massive Japanese superiority of numbers. All twelve of her 6-in guns were put out of action
– the absence of gun-shields making their crews particularly vulnerable to fragments,
even if not hit directly, and so too were most of her smaller weapons. She took
five serious hits at or below the waterline, her superstructure and ventilators
were wrecked and at least five fires had to be extinguished. Small as she was, the
Korietz fought no less valiantly .

Contemporary postcard showing the damaged Varyag and Korietz

Badly damaged, unable to make their escape but unwilling to
surrender, both Russian vessels limped back into Chemulpo. The Varyag was scuttled there at 1600 and the
Korietz was blown up by her own crew.
The Russian survivors were taken on board the neutral warships and in due
course were returned to Russia on neutral shipping.

The Koreitz blowing up - a transport lies between viewer and explosion

The Varyag and her
crew were rightly honoured in Russia, then and later, for their heroic defiance
– indeed in 1972, in the Soviet era, a commemorative postage-stamp was issued
in her honour. Captain Rudnev was decorated by the Czar and was also honoured
in the Soviet era – a monument was erected to him in Tula in 1956. The most valuable
honour of all came from the Japanese themselves, the Emperor awarding him the Order
of the Rising Sun in 1907.

The Varyag reincarnated as the Japanese Soya

The Varyag’s career
was not however at an end. She was salvaged after the war and taken into the Japanese
Navy as the Soya. She served until
1916, by which stage Japan and Russia were allies in the war against Germany.
Like several other Russian prizes captured in 1904-05 the Soya was handed back to the Russians at Vladivostok. She was named Varyag once more. Intended for service with
the Russian White Sea squadron she was sent to Britain, to Liverpool, for a
refit. Following the Bolshevik Revolution
the Russian crew on board hoisted a red flag and refused to sail. The ship was
seized by the British and assigned to the Royal Navy in February 1918 but saw
no service other than as a hulk.

The Varyag was sold for scrap in 1920 but while under
tow grounded on rocks near Lendalfoot on
Scotland’s Firth of Clyde. Here she was scrapped in situ and she is now
commemorated by a spectacular monument which was unveiled in July 2006 in a
ceremony attended by senior Russian politicians and navy personnel, veterans
and local dignitaries.

The Varyag’s last resting
place, half a world away from the scene of her hopeless but heroic stand, was
to be one that Captain Rudnev and his crew could never have imagined.

6 comments:

It's time to join the e-book civilization. I have been holding out a little too long. The Russo Japanese War includes two of the largest twentieth century naval battles before the aircraft carrier era, and should be studied thoughtfully. On the land, the Yalu River, in a fore shadowing of the later Korean War, was a major battle arena.

All: It's indeed and epic. For many years I have admired the performance of many of the Russian ships (and their crews of course) in the RJW. Leadership at the highest levels of government was abysmal but the crews in general fought magnificently, and in many cases went down, fighting, with their ships. The voyage of the Baltic Fleet to Tsu Shima has frequently been ridiculed but getting it that far, without bases on the way, was a splendid achievement.

Last year I read "The Fleet that had to Die" which is the full take of the Baltic Fleet's voyage to its demise a world away. Only the sat chapter or so is the battle and I think that the Russian Commander performed well under incredible odds to even get there with an intact force. I highly recommend this book

Paul: That book, by Richard Hough, was the first I read on the subject - that was in the late 50s or early 60s. I've been fascinated by the subject ever since! There can be few better endorsements of a book!

About Me

My "Dawlish Chronicles" are set in the late 19th Century and reflect my deep interest in the politics, attitudes and technology of the period. The fifth novel in the series, “Britannia’s Amazon” is now available in both paperback and Kindle formats. It follows the four earlier Dawlish Chronicles, "Britannia's Wolf", "Britannia's Reach”, "Britannia's Shark" and "Britannia's Spartan". Click on the book covers below to learn more or to purchase.
I’ve had an adventurous career in the international energy industry and am proud of having worked in every continent except Antarctica. History is a driving passion in my life and I have travelled widely to visit sites of historical significance, many insights gained in this way being reflected in my writing. I welcome contact on Facebook and via this Blog. My website is www.dawlishchronicles.com and its “Conflict” section has a large number of articles on topics from the mid-18th Century to the early 20th Century.